Vesuvius

257 Pages·2012·2.063 MB·English

by  Gillian Darley

vesuvius

wonders of the world
VESUVIUS
GIllIan darlEy
Harvard University Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts
2012
Copyright © Gillian Darley, 2011
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Profile Books Ltd,
3A Exmouth House, Pine Street, Exmouth Market,
London EC1R 0JH, U.K.
Typeset in Caslon by MacGuru Ltd
Designed by Peter Campbell
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Darley, Gillian.
Vesuvius / Gillian Darley.
p. cm. — (Wonders of the world)
Originally published: London : Profile Books, 2011.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-674-05285-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Vesuvius (Italy)—History.
2. Volcanism—Italy—Vesuvius. I. Title.
QE523.V5D37 2012
945’.73—dc23
2011035047
To Susannah and Michael

‘Many men, many opinions, as one of the ancients said, before
my time’
William Wilkie collins, The Moonstone
‘Live in danger. Build your cities on the slopes of Vesuvius.’
Friedrich nietzsche

conTEnTS
Introduction 1
chapter 1 Early Days 10
chapter 2 Miracle or Science? 33
chapter 3 William Hamilton – made by Vesuvius 64
chapter 4 Romantics 96
chapter 5 Making Vesuvius 125
chapter 6 Real Geology, New Focus 151
chapter 7 Vesuvius and the Wider World 182
Visiting Vesuvius at home and abroad 216
Further Reading 220
List of Illustrations 228
Acknowledgements 232
Index 235